Never Again
by Ginger
Summary: Herc, Iolie & Jason go on a fishing trip and it all goes downhill from there. Please rr Any criticism and well any review is greatly appreciated!


The YH characters do not belong to me and no $ is being made off of this. Hope you enjoy!  
  
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It was a beautiful day at the Cheiron's Academy and Hercules, Iolaus and Jason had nothing to do. The sun was not even at midday and the boys we're already bored. The cadets didn't have classes that day and Kora's was closed. Which meant not only was there one less thing to do but also they were severely undernourished. They had almost run out of ideas when Cheiron came to see the three friends.   
  
"What are you boys doing sitting around?" He asked.  
  
"We've already played bag ball about eight times and can't think of anything exciting to do," Hercules responded rather a-matter-of-factly.  
  
The centaur paused to think, "Well I've got an idea if you boys are up to it that is," he said knowing that the boys would not be able to refuse. He also hoped that the boys would have more time to bond as Hercules had been getting more depressed each day after thinking about his father. Jason was starting to get stressed about his upcoming coronation. Poor Iolaus was worried about not being able to make tuition with Kora being off helping Artemis he had no place to work, "why don't you go down to the lake. You can have some fun and go fishing. If you manage to catch anything we'll cook it for dinner."  
  
"You mean we won't have to eat oats?" Iolaus asked excitedly.  
  
"No Iolaus," Cheiron responded and shook his head.  
  
"I know a great lake we can go to. My father used to take me when we were younger and it's only a little farther than the other lake," Jason stated.  
  
"All right let's go get our stuff," Hercules said and the three young heroes headed for their bunks.  
  
They packed enough dry clothes because they knew Iolaus would end up getting his wet. Jason packed the equipment he thought they would need. They would all bring their swords but bringing a few daggers wouldn't hurt either. The young prince made sure they had nets and rope as well. They could find branches at the lake for rods. As well as some wood to build a small raft for the three. Iolaus, of course, was in charge of food. He picked many green apples and blueberries because he didn't know how long it would take them to get to the lake. And once they get there, actually catch a fish. A little while later, the three boys were off. They had been joking with each other most of the way and we're just about at the lake.  
  
"So Jase, this lake better have some good fish. I am a great fisherman you know," Iolaus joked.  
  
"Iolaus, you can't even swim!" Herc teased.  
  
"I can still fish though," Iolaus defended.  
  
"It's right through this clearing," Jason said as he pushed his way through some bushes. He held them back so that they would not hit his friends and the three cadets starred at a beautiful lake. All we're awestruck by the sight, even Jason who had seen the lake before. The lake was crystal blue with many trees growing around it. It was so large that the whole thing could not be seen.  
  
"Oh Zeus!" Iolaus exclaimed, "This lake is amazing!"  
  
"Well boys I think it's too late to go fishing. We should get wood to build a fire," Hercules suggested.  
  
"And we can start building the raft for tomorrow," Jason added. The three young men headed off in separate directions gathering as much wood as possible. Iolaus was the first to return to camp, followed by Herc, and finally Jason. Iolaus had started a fire and they we're starting to get hungry.  
  
"Green apples for everyone!" Iolaus exclaimed passing out some of their evening meal. By now the three had all gotten considerably dirty from the walk and looking for wood.  
  
"We better clean up," Jason said after they all finished eating. The three stripped down and headed into the lake while the sun was beginning to set near the far banks of the lake. Iolaus glanced over at the two other cadets. Their backs we're turned to the curly haired man and of course he couldn't resist. He picked mud up from the bottom of the lake and tossed it at his unsuspecting friends. The mud hit each of them in the back of the head and they whirled around to return the favor. Soon all three we're covered in mud. They cleaned off again and went back to the campsite, dressed and laid down by the fire. Soon all three were sound asleep.  
  
Hercules was the first awake and decided to double-check the raft they made the night before. Once he was done Jason was awake and decided to go down to the lake for a quick swim. The young demi-god decided to try and wake up Iolaus but Iolaus wouldn't have it. He just rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head. Jason had returned just as Hercules had taken Iolaus' blanket away. Jason wrung the water out of his hair right on Iolaus and he was finally up, though not happy about it. The grabbed the fishing poles they made as well the raft and bait and made their way down to the lake. It was not long before they we're far enough out where they could see plenty of fish.  
  
"Now Iolaus please try not to fall in this time," Jason teased.  
  
"Don't worry, If I do I'll take you with me," Iolaus said grinning.  
  
"Come on guys, I don't feel like saving you *both* today!" Hercules joked.   
  
"Hey guys I think I got something," Iolaus said.  
  
"Hey maybe you really can fish!" Herc added.  
  
"Help me out here will you!" Iolaus exclaimed as his two friends grabbed onto the makeshift pole. The three pulled with all their strength but could not pull the fish in. It was stronger than even Hercules' great strength.   
  
"I don't think this is working," Jason said through gritted teeth. The words had barely come out of his mouth before a large tentacle came out from the water, wrapping itself around Hercules' leg.  
  
"Hey Iolaus, Jason, I could use a little help right about now!" Hercules yelled while trying to pry the creature off his leg. "Something tells me that this fella right here isn't a fish!"  
  
Iolaus and Jason rushed over to try and help their friend. Suddenly the creature, which was under the raft, hit it's large body on the raft, causing both cadets both hit the raft with a thud. Jason moved to one side of their float and frantically searched through the bag he brought. The prince knew that he had to find one of the daggers in order to free his friend. He was nervous and rushing so he fumbled with everything he grabbed. More than once he had to free his hands from the net that was inside the sack. Iolaus rushed over and tried to help Hercules, who was now attempting to hold onto something on the raft just in case the angry sea creature decided to take the young demi-god with it to where it came from.  
  
"You know Jase I could use a little help over here!" Iolaus exclaimed his fingers shaking from trying to grip the tentacle so hard. No matter how hard the two tried they just couldn't pry the tentacle off of Herc's leg. Even Herc's extra strength was no match for this creature.   
  
"I....I...I...I need to get one of the daggers," Jason stuttered.  
  
The float rocked again and all three cadets lost their balance. Hercules swung his arms around, trying to keep balance. Unfortunately his right arm came down and hit Iolaus on the side of the head with his gauntlet. The force of the blow knocked his curly haired friend to the raft.  
  
"Iolaus are you ok?" He asked his friend as he reached out for him. Iolaus looked up just in time to see an unsuspecting Hercules lose his balance and get dragged into the water below.  
  
"Herc!" Iolaus bellowed looking over to where his friend had been moments ago. He crawled over to where he had been and stared into the water below hoping to be able to see his friend.  
  
"Iolaus stay here and try and paddle to shore. I'll go after Herc. Don't worry, I'll get him," Jason said fully knowing that Iolaus would worry and he might not be able to make it to their friend in time. He dove into the water below and swam towards where he thought the squid might have gone. It took his eyes a little while he adjust to the water and he looked around frantically for his friend. Jason couldn't see him and had to return to the top of the water in order to catch his breath. He noticed Iolaus had not gotten very far towards the shore and hoped that at least his friend would make it.   
  
"Iolaus just keep paddling. You won't be able to help me pull out Hercules if your stuck in the middle of the lake," Jason added.  
  
The young prince dove back under the water, dagger in hand. To his right he spotted Hercules and a large squid, which still had a tentacle wrapped around Herc's left leg. He swam as fast as he could towards the beast. Hercules was trying to unwrap the squid's tentacle from his leg when he noticed Jason swimming towards him. Jason went towards the squid with the dagger and attempted to stab the beast. The beast used one tentacle to push him away. It was at this time that each tentacle had sharp objects sticking out of different areas. This made him hurry towards his friend as he knew he must be in pain. The prince swam over and sliced the squid's tentacle that was holding his friend. While Jason was attempting to cut Herc free the squid reached over with two of its tentacles. The tentacles wrapped around each of Jason's arms and squeezed tightly. Pain went through his arms and through the rest of his body.   
  
The young prince dropped the knife into the water. He was already running out of air and knew that Hercules had been under water longer. What Jason forgot was that Herc could hold his breath much longer than Jason and other mortals because he was half god. Luckily, when Jason released the knife, Hercules caught the knife before it fell to the bottom of the lake. Herc had managed to cut off the end of the squid's tentacle that was holding him while the squid concentrated on his friend.   
  
Hercules could see the pain in Jason's face turn to relief when the dagger cut through one of the tentacles holding Jason. Surprised and hurting, the squid released Jason's other arm and the two cadets swam to the top as fast as they could. When they reached the surface Jason began to gasp for breath. The two cadets hadn't been up very long when the squid came swimming towards them. As it was about the reach the two helpless cadets suddenly a net came crashing down on it.   
  
Hercules and Jason looked over to see Iolaus' standing on the raft grinning triumphantly.  
  
"Don't just stay there hurry up over here we aren't just going to wait for it to get free are we?" Iolaus asked as he helped his two friends onto the raft. They realized that the net would not hold the large creature for long. They we're lucky that it held it for as long as it did. Iolaus had started to row them in and his two friends collapsed onto the raft. Hercules' ankle was a little sore but other than that he was fine. His boot had stopped the squid's spikes from breaking skin. After a second he stood and helped Iolaus row towards the shore. Jason was laying down still trying to catch his breath. The only other harm done to the young prince were the gashes over his bare arms from the squid.  
  
Hercules paddled the way back to shore because Iolaus was still dizzy from being hit in the head by Herc's gauntlet earlier. After a few moments, Jason joined the young demi-god so that they would make it back to shore quicker.  
  
They we're about half-way to the shore when Iolaus spoke again.  
  
"Um guys, where'd the squid go?" he said looking back to where the creature had been tangled in the nets a few minutes before.  
  
"I don't know but I'm not waiting around to find out," Hercules said, rowing faster than he had tried to before. Zeus' son and the future king of Corinth paddled with all the strength the two could muster. Suddenly, waves began to rock their unsteady water craft.   
  
"Where are the waves coming from?" Hercules asked, looking around concerned.  
  
"I don't know but I don't think its good," Jason added.   
  
"Guys, lakes don't have waves naturally. Something has to cause them," Iolaus said, it was what his two friends were both thinking, yet hoping was not true.  
  
"Jason this is a lake right?" Hercules asked shaking his friend roughly.  
  
"I, I, I don't know! I was so young when we came here. I don't remember. We can't see the edge. Oh Zeus, I'm sorry." Jason said stunned at what he had just realized.  
  
"How could you not know if it was an ocean? Do you know how many creatures are in an ocean? How many creatures waiting for their next meals?" Hercules was shouting now and Jason looked as if he was close to tears. The King-to-be had no idea what to do. It was all his fault they we're in trouble. They we're close to shore but Herc was right. There were a lot of sea creatures out there waiting for their next meal.   
  
"Stop it!" Iolaus yelled holding his hands to his temples, his two friends saw the curly-haired young man sway a little before adding, "My head hurts enough without you two screaming at each other. Never again am I going to let Jason pick where we fish. At least we're not dinner yet, but we will be if we don't keep paddling"  
  
Jason and Hercules said nothing but leaned down and resumed paddling towards shore. Their friend slumped down upon their raft and was glad to once again have a little peace and quiet. Well other than Herc and Jason's splashing. After a few moments of silence, Hercules suddenly stopped and looked at his friends, fear written over his young face.  
  
"If we're in an ocean and we just attempted to kill a squid you know what that means don't you?" he asked, obviously worried.  
  
His two friends shook their heads and Hercules continued.  
  
"My mother used to tell me stories about her grandfather, Perseus, who battled a fierce sea monster to save his wife, Andromeda. Well the only thing that killed the creature was Medusa's head because it turned whoever looked into her eyes to stone."  
  
"That's a great story Herc but what does it have to do with us?" Iolaus asked.  
  
"Don't you get it? Poseidon sent that creature after my great-grandmother, Andromeda, and only Medusa's head could stop it. Who knows what he's going to send after us to punish us for trying to kill that squid. He protects *all* sea creatures!" Hercules explained to his friends who we're no longer in the dark about the danger they were in.  
  
"But the monster attacked us!" Jason defended.  
  
"Do you really think that Poseidon is going to care? You know how gods are!" Hercules shouted, it was easy to tell just how nervous Alcmene's son was at that point.  
  
"Wait your protection order though. He can't send anything after you.....can he?" Iolaus asked hoping Poseidon hadn't found a loophole.  
  
"True, but he can still punish the two of you," Hercules said sadly. "And If the creature *accidentally* went after me it wouldn't be his fault."  
  
The waves that had began when the three cadets thought they we're still in a lake were still coming steadily. Hercules and Jason had started paddling again and Iolaus had decided to join them, despite his major headache. But he wasn't about to tell his two friends about it. *the faster we paddle, the faster we get out of here* he thought. That and the fact that he still had not learned how to swim allowed him to push aside the dizziness and nausea he was fighting against. *it's just seasickness* he kept reminding himself.   
  
"Have the waves gotten bigger do you think?" Jason asked cautiously, hoping that his assumption was incorrect.  
  
"No just keep paddling," Hercules said, also hoping Jason was wrong. The truth was the waves were getting bigger though. Some of the water was now smiling onto the float, making it slippery. Jason got up to see if there was still a dagger in the bag in case the squid, or something worse, decided to come back. On his way there he slipped on the water and landed with a thud shaking the raft.  
  
"Watch it you made the raft shake big boy," Iolaus teased despite the dire situation they were in. "I think you've been eating too much palace food my friend. You're getting pretty big, that was a large movement the boat made when you hit it"  
  
Jason didn't have time to respond before a large creature rose from the water, right between them and the shore.  
  
The creature was at least as tall as the Academy and covered with rough looking bluish-green scales. The sea monster had large, yellow fangs that protruded from its large mouth, which was filled with the same color teeth. This monster definitely didn't look happy. The water went high enough on it so it's legs we're partially under water. The monster's two arms each had six fingers at the ends with long nails. The cadets were willing to bet they were as sharp as swords also. Each of the creatures three black, beady eyes were as large as each of the three friend's heads.   
  
"What in Hades is that?" Iolaus asked, his voice shaking with fear of Poseidon's sea creature.  
  
"I don't know but I have a feeling I don't want to find out!" Hercules exclaimed as he stopped paddling.  
  
The three had to figure out a way to reach shore without the creature getting them. Even if the cadets somehow did make it to shore, they all doubted the sea monster would hesitate to try and still destroy them, dry land or not. Hercules thought maybe they could swim to shore, all going in different directions. The creature didn't seem to be very mobile so maybe they could just make it. Except that Iolaus couldn't swim. The creature had yet to strike but they had no doubt it wasn't going to wait much longer. Let alone wait for them to think up and discuss a plan. The three young cadets didn't have to wait very long.  
  
All three of them we're now standing up and the creature swiped his paw out, almost hitting Jason. The young Prince jumped into the water to avoid it and the creature stuck his hands into the water searching for its prey. Jason surfaced on the other side of the raft from the creature and shouted to his friends.  
  
"The creature is probably going after me because I used to dagger on the squid earlier. Plus Herc's protection order," he yelled before ducking back under the water to escape the sea monster's scaly hand. "Take Iolaus to shore, I'll keep him distracted ok"  
  
"Ok, but once I get him to shore I'm coming back for you," Hercules reluctantly agreed his friend's request and started paddling towards shore.  
  
"Yeah don't worry. I'm counting on you coming back!" Jason reassured him and swam farther away. "Hey ugly over here!"  
  
Hercules and Iolaus we're worried about their friend but knew that they would not be able to help him unless they got the hunter to shore. As they paddled thoughts raced through both their young minds. Ideas were thought of and scrapped many times before the two were even close to shore to be able to touch ground. Hercules glanced at his curly haired friend and it seemed as if he was awfully pale. The demi-god could only hope that it was for fatigue.   
  
The creature growled and seemed to understand Jason's teasing. *uh oh wrong move* Jason thought as he swam farther and farther away from the creature. He suddenly realized he was moving farther and farther away from shore. The sea monster was following him but he couldn't keep going out to sea.   
  
Jason ducked under water and began swimming straight towards the creature. He hoped to be able to swim through its legs because the creature was too large to have much coordination. Suddenly the creature closed its legs with Jason's feel still between them.  
  
He suddenly realized he was moving farther and farther away from shore. The sea monster was following him but he couldn't keep going out to sea. Jason ducked under water and began swimming straight towards the creature. He hoped to be able to swim through its legs because the creature was too large to have much coordination. Suddenly the creature closed its legs with Jason's feel still between them. The young prince used all his strength to try and continue to swim but the pressure on his legs was too great. The giant sea monster had closed its scaly legs tight and had no intention of opening them to let the cadet free. Jason struggled as much as he could but he was not sure how long he would be able to keep this up. His strength had been drained when he tried to free Hercules from the squid and his arms got all hacked up. The future king was beginning to run out of air.  
  
After paddling for what seemed like forever Hercules and Iolaus reached close enough to the shore where Iolaus would be able to touch the soft ground. He hopped off the raft and was now in waist high water. "I'll take the supplies you go help Jason, but take the other dagger," Iolaus said before handing the weapon to his blonde friend and grabbing the bag Jason had packed the day before. The short young man glanced towards the sea creature, which was no longer moving around and got worried when he didn't see his companion. "Hey where is Jason?"  
  
Hercules and Iolaus looked around concerned but could not find their friend. " I don't know but I'm not waiting for him to surface" Hercules said, before beginning to paddle back out to where the creature was. He had regained all feeling back into his ankle but was very weary. His muscles we're killing him from all the paddling he'd done but he know that he couldn't give up now. Jason needed him.  
  
Underwater, Jason had managed to free his right leg, but the left one was still between the sea monsters large legs. The creature squeezed his legs together and pain shot through his trapped appendage. The young prince had stashed one of the three daggers he brought in his boot but unfortunately it was the same leg the creature had control of. He wasn't sure what the creature was going to do with him. The way he saw it the sea monster was either going to swipe down and pick him up seeing as Jason could no longer swim away. The dark-haired cadet was not looking forward to coming any closer to those sharp fangs than he had to. The other option the evil creature had was to wait until Jason lost his supply of air. Jason decided that he wanted nothing to do with either of them and began to struggle again.  
  
It had been a few moments and Hercules had still not seen his friend emerge. A few quick glances at Iolaus told him that the young hunter wasn't doing so well on shore. The curly haired cadet had practically collapsed when he was barely out of the water. He had to muster all the strength he could find to drag himself closer to their campsite. Iolaus knew he should go farther away from shore but wanted to be close enough to help Hercules with Jason if need be. The world around him was spinning and the general's son had to stop a few times and place his hands to his temples to stop him from falling over. He decided it would be best if he sat down, that way the ground would stop moving on him. Hercules was still paddling out towards the sea monster but Iolaus still could not see Jason. He silently prayed to the gods that his friends would be ok and we're sorry for what they did to the squid.   
  
Suddenly, the bluish-green monster reached into the water and pulled out a struggling prince. Hercules was still not close enough to help his friend though. Jason lay in the monster's hand almost unmoving. He stirred and tried to move but his body would not allow it. The monster slowly traced one of his long claws along its prey. Jason shook with fear not knowing what to do. The creature's hand was as large as their raft had been and if he wanted to he figure there would be enough room to move around. The prince of Corinth attempted to stand but fell back to the creature's scaly palm as pain rushed up his left leg. He rubbed his quickly swelling ankle hoping that Hercules would be able to think of a way to save him.   
  
Hercules was close enough to the sea creature to do something, now all he had to think of what that would be. Neither Poseidon's creature nor Jason noticed the young demi-god approaching. Let alone that he was now practically below them. Luckily in the monster's haste to get it's victim he had moved closer to the shore. Which would make it a lot easier for the cadets once and if they we're able to escape the monster. Hercules knew Jason had been swimming around for a long time and must be weak. His regrets were confirmed when he saw his friend collapse in the creature's hand after attempting to stand up.   
  
Herc remembered Iolaus words and reached for the dagger he had placed inside his boot and removed it. Now he just had to figure out what to do with it. He figured he could throw it but didn't think that would do much damage and then he would be weaponless. Suddenly Hercules thought of something that might just work.  
  
"Hey Jase you still got that dagger?" Hercules shouted up to the prone figure that was his friend.   
  
"Yeah," Jason managed to reply weakly.  
  
Jason reached for his boot and winced as he grabbed his injured ankle too roughly. As he did this Hercules watched in terror as the sea creature slowly brought up the hand that held the young prince closer to it's fanged mouth. It breathed on Jason and the hotness sent shivers all over the future king's body. It seemed the creature planned on scaring him before he ate him. The sea monster proceeded to lick Jason's head. Just when the cadet thought he was done for he remembered the dagger Hercules had just asked him about. He bravely grabbed one of the fangs with one hand and pulled himself to a standing position.   
  
With his other hand, Jason reached up and stabbed the creature in one of its three beady black eyes. The oversized monster roared and the young prince fell back into its large scaly hand. Hercules took this opportunity to hurl the dagger in his hand at the enormous sea monster, also. The dagger hit the monster right in one of its other eyes and it roared even louder. The roaring grew louder and the two cadets had no idea what it was going to do next. They had no idea whether their attempts had made it weaker, or angrier. That was, until suddenly the creature vanished. When the monster vanished, the platform Jason was laying upon disappeared also and he plummeted towards the water below. The future King of Corinth resurfaced just in time to see a man standing on water near Hercules.  
  
The older man was dressed in an all white robe that disappeared into the water below him. His long robe sparkled in the bright sun. His hair was silver and went to his broad shoulders. The man had a long beard that was the same color as his hair. The visitor's eyes were bluer than even Hercules' and appeared to be the same color as the water he was standing above. Anger circled through out the colored water of his eyes. Despite his obvious older age, the younger cadets could tell that he was a fierce warrior none the less. In his right hand he held a long golden rod with three spikes at one of the ends which resembled a pitchfork. The cadets immediately recognized it as a symbol of the God of the Sea, Poseidon, whom they violated in attacking the squid, and now the sea monster. Both boys were frozen in fear as the god stared at them with contempt.   
  
"You!" he shouted as he walked across the serene water towards where Jason was attempting to stay afloat. "You attacked my squid. She was beautiful creature of my ocean and you attacked her. You were to be punished. I was not about to let you defeat my Gargel, too. Who are you who dare to harm any of my property and trespass into my sea?"  
  
"Ja...Ja...Jason," the young prince stammered. He feared the god of the Sea even more than he had ever feared Ares.  
  
"Ahhhh, the Corinthian. I've heard of your little adventures with my nephew there. He attempted to harm my beautiful creature also but I can not inflict any harm upon him. My brother's law forbids any for of it. Although, there is nothing in the said law that protects his pathetic friends. Especially since you attacked my animals"  
  
From the shore, Iolaus watched in disbelief as the god of the sea appeared in place of the monster. The young hunter could not hear what they were saying but noticed the powerful deity float over to Jason. One thing Iolaus did know was the Olympian didn't look too happy though. Iolaus wasn't sure if he should be relieved that the creature was gone or fearful that Poseidon would do worse to his friends.   
  
"He was saving me from the your monster," Hercules interjected. He hoped that he would be able save his friend, who was now struggling to stay above water. The prince had very little strength left and was trying his best not to succumb under the water. Poseidon did not looked pleased by his nephew's remark.   
  
"I don't care who he was attempting to save!" the powerful being, who was also the god of horses shouted as he sent waves across the water towards Hercules, almost knocking him off the raft. " He killed one of my most beautiful squids and he *will* pay."  
  
With that the god raised his trident into the air, an earthquake rattled the land and caused huge waves in the ocean. The wind picked up and it began to rain steadily. Back on dry land, Iolaus had to take cover near the trees as a large wave crashed down near him. He tried to run but stumbled as the world spun around him. The last thing Iolaus was aware of was the large bolt of lightning that ripped across the sky before his whole world went dark.  
  
Hercules clung to the raft with all the strength that he could muster. The young demi-god knew that as long as he was on this raft that he would be safe. Poseidon had even said he could and would not do any harm to his nephew, Hercules. If he could pull Jason over to him then Poseidon would have to stop. The waves were very high now and Poseidon floated calmly above the waters as he watched Jason struggle. The waves tossed the young prince in different directions. Left, right, under, Jason wondered when it would all stop. Lightning cracked across the sky and Poseidon's laughter was all that could be heard.   
  
Hercules got an idea and jumped into the water in an attempt to help his struggling friend. He ducked under the water and swam to where Jason was now struggling underwater trying to figure out which way was up. Every time the monarch tried to kick to swim, pain shot through his injured ankle but he refused to let himself stop. He knew that if he did it would be the end.  
  
Suddenly, Jason felt someone grab him from behind and yank him towards what he thought and hoped was the surface. He struggled at first thinking it was another one of Poseidon's creatures but soon realized it was Hercules. The two friends reached the surface and gasped for breath. Luckily the raft was only a few meters away and Hercules hoisted his friend up on top of it. The demi-god then pulled himself up and stood in front of Jason.  
  
"You dare to defy me!" Poseidon shouted as the wind got stronger blowing both men's hair everywhere. Hercules and Jason we're drenched from the rain but the god of the sea was not even remotely damp.   
  
"I will not let you harm my friend!" Hercules shouted over the roar of the wind.   
  
"The mortal is none of your business!" Poseidon shouted back and the waves got bigger each time his voice grew louder. Hercules was afraid that their small raft would collapse but it seemed to be holding up well so far.   
  
"Jason is my business and always will be. I will not let any harm come to any of the people I care about!" Hercules said thinking of all the times his friends had been in danger because of his relatives. This was just another one of those times he felt.  
  
Just when Hercules thought that Poseidon was going to blast both of them with his trident, the wind slowed and the waves lessened. Jason stirred on the raft and tried to figure out what had caused the sudden change in climate. The two cadets peered behind the sea god to see a beautiful woman with golden hair looking at the two of them sadly.   
  
"Poseidon! I've come to stop your actions, before you do something you will not be able to fix," the woman, who was dressed in a beautiful silver dress said. "Are you fully aware of what your doing to these two my dear?"  
  
"Why did you come here, Amphitrite? This does not concern you!" The god of the Sea shouted at his new companion. The woman, who looked slightly older than Aphrodite, did not sway under the god's anger. The woman was stunning and the cadets could not keep their eyes off of her. Whether this was in awe or just thankfulness for saving them, they were not sure.   
  
"Of course it concerns me," the sea goddess said sadly. "I don't want my husband condemned to Tarturus for all eternity."  
  
"I told the boy that I would do no harm to him. If Zeus' son did not insist on trying to save his worthless mortal friend, then I would not have to do what I am about to do," Poseidon replied and raised his trident, the wind resumed and rain began to fall steadily again. Although this time, it did not last for long. Amphitrite floated over to where her husband was standing and placed a delicate hand on his cheek. He gazed into her saddened face and his anger subsided. Once again, the waves lessened, wind calmed and heavy rain ceased. The two cadets were left to wonder just how long this would last.  
  
"You, of all people should know that the ends do not always justify the means," Nereus' daughter's soothing voice spoke to her love. "The young men meant no harm. Let us leave them, and all will be forgotten"  
  
"I must avenge the death of my beautiful, Yanna," the god of horses spoke, the anger resuming in his blue eyes.  
  
A pair of equally as blue eyes met his own and that same anger disappeared for the second time. "Your squid is not the least of our worries. If you try and kill Hercules you will be punished forever. Do you not understand? There is no way around this. He did not attempt to kill Yanna. He was protecting himself. She broke one of your laws when she went after them."  
  
"The Prince still attacked Yanna. Nothing can change that. There is no protection order against him!"  
  
"Your right, there isn't. If it is your wish, you can destroy him. But it is not my wish for this to happen. I don't want any more lives taken today. Can we not leave here my love," the beautiful deity asked. It was obvious she did not share her husband's harsh temperature. In this situation at least.   
  
Poseidon floated over to where the two young friends were on their raft. He picked Jason up from his position laying on the raft and grabbed him by his torn vest and glared at the young prince, "This is not the last you will see of me Corinthian!" With that he dropped Jason back onto the raft. Jason groaned in pain after landing on his injured ankle. Poseidon disappeared back into the ocean from which he had come earlier in the day.  
  
"Thank you for saving us," Hercules spoke the Poseidon's Queen.  
  
"Well, if I didn't then my dear old husband would be in Tarturus. I don't exactly enjoy the thought of that. I saved him and in by doing that, I saved you then so be it. This does not mean I condone what you or your friend have done."  
  
"We didn't mean to do it any harm. I really I really thought this was a lake. I guess I'm never again going to be picking the fishing spots," Jason, who was sitting up by now defended.  
  
"I'd say that's a good idea. Stay away from the sea. Or next time you won't be as lucky. I will not stop my husband from punishing you again," Amphitrite spoke before disappearing into the water as her husband had done.  
  
"That was close, too close," Hercules spoke to his friend, "How's your ankle?"  
  
"It kills but it's not broken or anything," the young prince replied.  
  
"Let me see," Herc replied and bent down to look at his friend's injury. Jason immediately winced at his friend's touch but Hercules continued probing his ankle. "I wouldn't be so sure Jason. I can't tell anything because it's so swollen. But swelling is always a sign of a break. Once we get back to shore I'll bind it just in case. I highly doubt you'll be able to walk on it"  
  
"I'll be fine, really" he reassured his friend but was not so sure as he had not yet attempted to walk.  
  
"Well don't just lay there come help me paddle. It's your ankle that's hurt, not you arms," Hercules teased and Jason crawled over to the edge and began paddling with his fellow cadet.  
  
It did not take them long to reach shore as the waves seemed to be helping the two reach their destination. Once they were close enough, Hercules and Jason hopped off the float and Hercules pulled the float towards shore. He then returned to help his friend limp towards their campsite.   
  
"Hey where's Iolaus?" Jason asked concerned.   
  
"Do you think he could have gone to go get help?" Hercules asked.  
  
"I don't think that he would just leave"  
  
"Your right," Hercules began and started searching around for his friend. Any footprints that could have been followed were washed away by rain. All of the mud had now dried from the steaming sun that returned once the two sea gods disappeared. Jason grabbed a stick and used it to help him walk as he aided Hercules in the search for Iolaus.   
  
"Herc! Come quick I found him!" Jason yelled as he hobbled as quickly as he could to an unconscious Iolaus about 40 feet away.  
  
Seeing his best friend of so many so years on the ground, Hercules sprinted towards him. The demi-god ran right past Jason who was going as fast as he could with his ankle the way it was and he stumbled a couple of time son the way to his friend but Hercules had not noticed and Jason had barely noticed himself.   
  
"Iolaus, buddy, come on wake up," Hercules shouted at his friend. The demi-god lightly slapped his face, hoping to wake him up. "Stay with him I'll get some water"  
  
Jason nodded and searched his friend for injuries. The prince felt Iolaus' head and found a sticky red substance. He somehow must have gotten hit in the head at some point he thought, waiting for Hercules to return with the water.   
  
"Go get more water, bring it back in the canteen," Jason instructed. "I found a head wound, that must be what caused him to pass out. I don't know when he hit his head though. It must've been when he was on shore"  
  
"No! That's not it. One of my gauntlets hit him on the head when the squid first grabbed my leg. It shook the raft and I lost my balance and when my arm came down it hit him on the head. When we we're paddling back he complained of a headache don't you remember? This is all my fault," Hercules scolded himself for causing his best friends' injury.  
  
"It's not your fault. You didn't mean to hit him. It's my fault that we ended up in this stupid place in the first place. If there is anyone to blame, it's me," Jason said as he wiped the blood off of his friend's head. The young prince had ripped his shirt and dipped it into the water flask Hercules had filled up. Once the wound was clean , he wrapped it with another piece to try and stop further bleeding.   
  
"Your right, we can't sit here and fight over who's fault it is. We should bring him back to camp. It's already dark. Are you ok to walk?" the young demi-god asked.  
  
"Yup, I'm fine," Jason replied, leaning on his stick to help him up "Your right. Sleep is probably the best thing for him right now"  
  
Hercules picked up the prone figure of his friend and began to walk back to where the boys had set up camp. He placed blankets over his friend and used some clothing as a pillow. Hercules and Jason then settled down to get some sleep themselves.   
  
Hercules was the first awake the following morning. He checked on Iolaus, who just looked as if he was in a deep sleep. Hercules hoped that his friend would wake up soon. The demi-god contemplated on whether or not he should try and wake him himself or not. He would be a lot less worried if he attempted to wake the hunter and he awoke. On the other hand though, the more sleep he got the better. In the end, Hercules decided to go for the latter of the two. Alcmene's son knew that Cheiron would start to get worried if they did not return back by the next day. When they originally set out on their trip, they told the centaur that they would only be gone two days and one night. At this point they were on their third day and the second night had just passed.   
  
They might have to carry Iolaus, or at least rig up a stretcher for him. Hercules was also not sure how far Jason would be able to walk, if at all. The prince had said that his ankle was fine but Hercules thought the contrary. It was severely swollen and Hercules had noticed the pain in his face when he walked, even with the stick. His ankle was too swollen to be able to tell if it was broken or not. Zeus' son knew his friend, and deduced that no matter how much pain he was in that the monarch would not let him know of it.   
  
Hercules was lost in his own thoughts and did not notice his friend wake up.   
  
"Hey Herc! You sleep well?" the young prince asked.   
  
"Yeah, actually I slept like a baby," Hercules replied, just realizing how great of a sleep he had that night.  
  
"I know, it's so peaceful out here. Well minus yesterdays little mishap," Jason joked. He knew Hercules was worried about Iolaus, as was he. He was trying to lighten to mood in hopes that Iolaus would wake up soon.  
  
"How's your ankle? Any better?" Hercules asked pessimistically. He had always been taught hope for the best, prepare for the worst.   
  
"It's alright. It doesn't hurt as much as yesterday, but it's still sore." the future king lied to his friend. True it was still sore, but hurt worse than before.  
  
"Why don't you try walking on it in a little while. That will help see how badly it's hurt too," Herc suggested.   
  
The Corinthian stood and attempted to walk. He managed to do it, although with a limp. Jason tried to hide his pain from his friend and it worked. "Alright I'm going to try and find some berries or something that we can eat. Jason waited for Hercules to be out of site before collapsing back onto the ground.  
  
"This is going to be tougher than I thought," Jason said, rubbing his sore ankle. "I hope Iolaus wakes up soon"  
  
Jason crawled over to his friend and gently touched his forehead. He was running a slight fever nothing to be alarmed about though. Fevers are common for head injuries. None-the-less, Jason put water onto a cloth and placed it on his friends forehead. Hoping that would prevent the fever from fully coming.   
  
Hercules returned a little while with some blueberries. Jason could see the blue juice stains around the young demi-god's mouth. "You got hungry on the way back?" Jason chuckled. "Your getting more like Iolaus everyday!"  
  
"What's wrong with that?" came a voice from a few feet away. Hercules and Jason turned to see that their curly haired companion had finally awakened.  
  
"Iolaus! I'm so glad that your finally awake! You were starting to worry us! Don't *ever* do something like that again! You hear me?" Hercules exclaimed and scolded before rushing to his friends side.  
  
"How are you feeling buddy?" Jason asked.  
  
"I feel like I went to Hades and back!" Iolaus said squinting his blue eyes in the bright sun. "So what happened to you two out there? The last thing I remember is Herc and I coming to shore and then he headed back out to get you."  
  
"Well, Iolaus, you must have started walking around or something like that. We found you pretty far off from our little camp here." Jason offered his information to his friend, Iolaus.  
  
"Well we almost took care of the sea monster, but then it disappeared and Poseidon reappeared in it's place," Hercules told his friend as he ran a hand through his blonde hair.  
  
"Oh yeah I remember that part now!" Iolaus said excitedly as he attempted to sit up slowly.  
  
"Well, Poseidon wanted to punish me for the whole squid thing. He said it died after Herc cut off the end of it's tentacles. I think he called her by the name of Yanna, or something similar to that. But anyways, it was storming out and there were huge waves and I almost drowned but good ole Herc over here saved me from drowning. Then he told Poseidon he wasn't going to let him do anything to me. Poseidon was about to blast the both of us, but then Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite came and stopped him before he ended up in Tarturus," Jason explained.  
  
"That's our Herc. Always the gentleman and the hero," Iolaus teased, pinching his friend's cheek between his thumb and index finger, like his grandmother had done so many times to him.  
  
"Hey quit it!" Hercules yelled, hitting away his friend's hand from his cheek before suggesting, "You know, you really should eat Iolaus. You're already weak so food will help,"   
  
"When did you ever hear Iolaus turn down food?" Jason asked pretending to be stunned.   
  
"Hardy har har! You just think your so funny Jason! Just because all the people at the palace laugh at your jokes doesn't mean that any of them are actually, oh I don't know, FUNNY! Nice try though" Iolaus retorted though his mouth was full of the many blue berries that Herc had brought back a little while before Iolaus had awoken from his nice little rest.  
  
"Iolaus, why don't you sleep a little more. Well, after you finish eating of course. Don't want to interrupt that now do we? Actually, I don't think that we could, even if we tried!" Hercules teased, but Iolaus had not seemed to notice. The young hunter was too busy stuffing his face. He had to make sure that he made up for any meals he might have missed on the previous day. "We'll start heading back to the Academy later today, probably around the later afternoon. That way we can do half the trip tonight and the rest tomorrow. You know conserve strength so that we may make it a heck of a lot easier"   
  
"Alright my commander!" Iolaus goofed and pretended to salute his best friend of so many years.   
  
"Laugh all you want but that doesn't change the fact that I'm right! I'm going to go and try and look for more food, since Iolaus seems to have eaten all the green apples! Plus the blueberries I just brought back! Jason now let Iolaus sleep ok! Don't force him to talk young man!"  
  
"Yes, Dad!" Jason said before he rolled over figuring he should get a little more sleep himself.  
  
Iolaus rolled over too, and started to think over the events of the last three days in his head. The young hunter could not wait just to get back to the Academy. All he wanted was to get to sleep in his own bed. Iolaus never thought that he would be looking forward to going back to the Academy, but he just wanted things to get back to normal for once. Never again were they going to let Jason pick the spot for them to fish at. Or at least not if they weren't sure it was a lake or not. Which reminded him, they had not even caught any fish. That meant that the cadets we're still going to have to eat those yucky oats! Maybe they could stop at some lake on the way home. Nah, it's probably a lot safer to just go straight back to the Academy. Plus Hercules would never agree to it. The boy worries to much. It would suffice to say they definitely weren't having any luck on this fishing trip.   
  
Hercules wandered through some bushes trying to find the spot where he had found some berries a few moments before Iolaus had awoken finally. The young demi-god shared many of the same thoughts as Iolaus. Maybe they could stop at his mother's house on the way home. Alcmene's would be happy to see them. On second thought, considering their bruised and battered appearance, she would probably just get some unnecessary worry. Like she always did. Though he now realized, he was the exact same way.   
  
Hercules came across the bush from earlier and proceeded to pick some of the best blueberries off it. Satisfied that he had picked enough blue berries, Hercules decided to return towards their camp. Once Alcmene's son arrived there, his two friends were sound asleep. Hercules was glad that they listened to him They both needed all the strength that they could get for the long journey home. Even though it was only about a half of a days walk back to the Academy, it would probably end up taking them a whole day. Hercules was not sure how much Iolaus would be able to walk before getting tired and did not want Jason pushing his ankle too far. Hercules gently walked over to the prince and gently attempted to wake him up.  
  
"Come on Jase, rise and shine!" Jason rolled over and sleepily rubbed his eyes and yawned. Hercules then walked over to Iolaus, who was a lot harder to wake up.   
  
Hercules had already packed the gear and he helped Iolaus to stand. The young hunter was a little light-headed at first but other than being weak, was fine to walk. Jason grabbed a long stick and hobbled along with his two friends. They we're finally on their way home.  
  
"I'm going to be glad to be back at the Academy," Hercules told his two best friends as the three began their lengthy walk back to their place of higher learning. The friends we're walking through a narrow pathway at this point and Hercules was in the lead. Iolaus followed behind and Jason held up the rear. Hercules and Jason figured that if Iolaus suddenly felt weak or anything it was best he wasn't the last. They came to this conclusion despite Iolaus best attempts to tell them otherwise.  
  
"Do you think Cheiron's worried about us?" Jason asked his two companions after pushing away a branch.  
  
"Definitely. He's probably already sent out the search party for you Jason!" Iolaus teased.  
  
"And why for me?" Jason asked a bit curiously.  
  
"If anyone found out Cheiron lost the future King of Corinth then he'd definitely be in trouble. A lot more people would miss you more than me or Iolie," Hercules explained to his dark haired friend.  
  
"Speak for yourself! *Tons* of people would miss me! More than you two combined," Iolaus retorted.  
  
"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuree Iolaus," Hercules and Jason greeted the hunters joking cockiness.  
  
"I think we've walked far enough for one night. Don't want you to over exerting yourself now do we?" Hercules asked. "We'll walk a little further so we can find a better place to spend the night"  
  
"I think we can make it farther. Don't you Iolaus?" Jason pleaded he wanted to get back to the Academy as soon as possible. He was already hiding all his pain from the other two and since he was last he could limp as much as he wanted without worrying his two concerned friends.  
  
"Can we? Can we Herc?" Iolaus asked, sounding more like a little kid than he ever did before.  
  
"No! And that's my final answer young man! Plus look how late it's getting. The sun is beginning to set now," Hercules replied going back into paternal mode. What worried Iolaus and Jason was once they found a camp he would head into maternal mode instead.  
  
They walked in silence for about another five minutes till Iolaus spoke up, "This spot looks like as good as spot as any."  
  
"Well Iolaus is the hunter! We should listen to him!" Jason said as he slowly lowered himself down to the ground.  
  
"And look there's a lot of fire wood around here too. Since I don't want to overexert myself, I'll let you start the fire Herc!" Iolaus added, as he began grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Fine fine you two just sit here and relax. I'll be back soon," with that Hercules disappeared to look for more wood and food.  
  
"Maybe it's not so bad have him worry over us," Jason said smiling like the Cheshire Cat.  
  
"It does have it's good qualities doesn't it!" Iolaus exclaimed and pulled out blankets from one of the bags he was carrying. He threw one to Jason and snuggled up under one himself. "So Jase, how's your ankle doing? We walked a long way this afternoon. Plus I could hear you grunting. And I know you, you don't grunt when you're enjoying yourself. Why don't you have Herc look at it when he gets back?"  
  
"I'm fine. Really Iolaus. Stop worrying and don't tell Hercules anything. He doesn't have to worry anymore than he has to. I'll have it looked at by Cheiron once we get back to the Academy, but that's it," Jason replied sternly. Though once he heard Iolaus' snoring he knew he was in the clear. The future King of Corinth was also fast asleep by the time Hercules returned with the firewood and more berries.  
  
"I told them they we're tired," Hercules spoke to himself before curling up into a ball under his blanket. Before he fell asleep he had one last though to himself, "Well at least we can eat some of the berries back at the Academy,"   
  
Jason was the first one awake in the morning. He looked around and saw his friends sleeping peacefully. *They look so happy* he thought. *No one will ever believe what we went through on this trip* The young prince was glad to be going back to the Academy but really enjoyed the time he could spend with his two friends. Growing up in the palace he had not had many children to interact with. He was lonely and the ones he did meet were stuck up royals from other cities. Other children he met made fun of him because of his status and would want nothing to do with him. He was always treated different because he would one day rule Corinth.  
  
That all changed when he came to the Academy. He had decided not to tell the other cadets of his status and Cheiron had agreed it would be best if no one knew. Anyone wanting to take revenge on Corinth or Jason's father would gladly go after the young prince as he would be an easy target. He would never forget the first friend he made there. Hercules and Iolaus did not attend the Academy yet. His first day he had met another boy the same age as him named Archus. They soon became close friends and Jason thought that his luck with friends was turning around.   
  
Archus and Jason did everything together. They were almost joined at the hip. Archus was poor and it was hard for him to find enough money to pay his tuition. He had a family that loved him though and they managed to get enough money when it was due. Jason wanted so much to be able to help his friend out but could not tell him of his position. When one of the breaks was scheduled to begin Jason talked to Cheiron and they decided it would be all right for Jason to take Archus home with him and tell him about his life.  
  
Once they reached the palace Archus was in awe. Jason had waited till they had reached his home to tell his friend about himself. At the end of the vacation Jason was going to tell Archus that he would pay his tuition for him and offer his father a job at the palace. They had spent two days in the castle when Jason went to wake up his friend. Archus' room was empty and his only friend was gone. Along with him lots of jewels and clothing from the palace too.   
  
Apparently, Archus knew all along of his so called "friends" status in life. The only friend the young prince had made at the Academy had used him and stolen from him. From then on the monarch became an outcast at school. He didn't trust anyone and started acting rudely to anyone who tried to be his friend. He had built up a wall that he would not let down. That was until Hercules came to the Academy. Hercules too was picked on for being different. He was the son of the mighty god Zeus and other children didn't allow Hercules to fit in. Because of their lives as almost outcasts to other kids, Hercules and Jason bonded immediately. Once Iolaus arrived at the Academy the three were inseparable.   
  
"Hey Jase, you all right?" Hercules asked, noticing his friend's tranced state.  
  
"Oh yeah, sorry. I was just thinking," Jason said a bit embarrassed at being caught daydreaming about the past.  
  
"We better wake Iolaus up. I think we slept later than we should have," Hercules said as he walked over to his sleeping friend and attempted to wake the young hunter from his dreams.  
  
It was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining and birds could be heard chirping truly a picture perfect day. After a long while Iolaus was finally roused up and the three friends packed away their stuff. They began traveling back to the Academy. Iolaus was now fully recovered from being knocked silly and was fully complaining about his hunger. Jason still leaned heavily on the large stick as he walked on his badly sprained ankle. They were lucky that was the only injury. Once they thought of what happened and what could have happened, they were really very lucky.   
  
They had walked well past mid day and only stopped to eat some of the berries Hercules had picked the night before. They figured if they had to stop for another night then Hercules should go and pick more of them, just to be safe. Plus they could always eat them once they got to the Academy also. Suddenly scuffling off many feet and sounds of a fight were heard.  
  
"Did you guys hear that?" Hercules asked as he started heading in the direction of the sounds.  
  
"Yeah. Whatever it is it sounds like someone is in trouble," Iolaus said from right behind Hercules. And the three heroes headed as quickly as they could, with Jason lagging behind to see if they could help whoever needed it.  
  
Hercules was the first to reach the clearing, followed shortly by Iolaus. The two cadets saw a group of men, about five of them surrounding a young girl about their age. The girl had blonde that had a reddish tint in the sunlight. She had huge blue eyes which were filled fright. She had on a beautiful yellow dress which was ripped in several places. The men had not heard Hercules and Iolaus approach and they used this to their advantage. The woman had and they motioned to her not to be scared, they would help her if they could.  
  
Hercules and Iolaus each approached a guy. They nodded to each other and tapped them on the shoulder at the same time. The men turned around surprised only to meet both cadet's fists. The two men hit the ground hard but unfortunately weren't out for the count. One of the men grabbed the girl and started running and the two other men went after Hercules and Iolaus. The girl was screaming and struggling as much as she could, but to no avail. Suddenly Jason appeared in the clearing and saw his two friends fighting and the girl being carried away,  
  
"Herc you go after the girl. Iolaus and I will stay here and fight off the rest of these guys," Jason said as he swung at one of the ugly guys Hercules was fighting at the moment.  
  
"Jason are you crazy?" Hercules said as he grabbed one of the guys by the back of his shirt and hurled him away. "You can barely stand up. Well at least that's one down, four to go."  
  
"Just go after them Hercules. Your the fastest runner. I'll take care of these guys and the prince boy," Iolaus said as he ducked under an approaching punch. Hercules took one last look at Jason, who was trying desperately to balance practically on one foot and still fight. He didn't want to leave his two friends but as much as he hated to admit it, Iolaus was right. Plus Iolaus' fighting skills were getting better and better everyday so he had faith that Iolaus could have handled the three remaining guys in time so Hercules took off running as fast as he could to where the man had taken off previously with the girl.   
  
Iolaus was able to fend off his two attackers but had not managed to be much of an offensive threat as of yet. The taller thug swung but Iolaus ducked. The young hunter swung out his left leg and managed to knock the older man to the ground. The taller hoodlum ran at Iolaus but the latter only side-stepped the other man's charge. The taller man had gotten up and glared at Iolaus. He pulled out a dagger but no longer was it out that Iolaus kicked it out of his hand and it flew in the air and landed too far away for anyone's use.  
  
He saw a fist coming at his face but did not have time to duck. The monarch hit the ground and looked up to see his attacker grinning over him. The man had yellow teeth and several were missing. The man had not anticipated that Jason would attack from the ground and was stunned when Jason's boot met the man's stomach. The force knocked the man back a few feet and gave the future king enough time to stand back up. The attacker charged and tackled the Corinthian to the ground. The two continued to struggle on the ground.  
  
Iolaus had managed to dispose of one of the bandit's but was still fighting with the other one. Finally the hunter landed a rough right hook to the attacker and the man went down with a thud. Iolaus noticed Jason and the scum rolling around and walked over pried the man off his friend and dealt him the same rough punch he had the man's accomplice. The curly haired cadet helped his friend to his feet and they both turned just in time to see Hercules approaching with a crying figure in his strong arms.  
  
The girl seemed to be unharmed but her body was shaking almost uncontrollably in Hercules' arms. She was crying and did not notice that her, along with her rescuer were approaching two other men. Hercules placed her on a large rock and she only placed her head in her hands and cried more. Hercules stroked her long reddish blonde hair as Iolaus and Jason came closer.  
  
"Miss? It's all right now. Those men are gone now. We won't hurt you. We'll bring you home," Hercules spoke softly to the stranger.  
  
"What happened over there?" Iolaus asked concerned.  
  
"Well I chased after the guy who was dragging her with him. She tripped and fell and when he went to grab her I kicked him. We fought and he ended up fleeing. She was still on the ground crying so I picked her up. She hasn't said anything yet. She might not be able to talk or she could be deaf. I don't know," Hercules explained to his two worried friends.  
  
The young woman suddenly stopped crying and looked up at the three heroes. She had the bluest eyes any of them had ever seen. Her face was read from crying but they could tell she was beautiful. Her white dress was ripped but that seemed to be the least of the girls problems. She turned away from Iolaus and Jason and stood. She was not nearly as tall as Hercules but taller than Iolaus. She looked directly at the demi-god before speaking.  
  
"I don't know how I will be able to thank you. I don't know why you came to save me but I'm forever thankful. My father will probably like to reward you too. He is going to be so mad at me. He told me want to wander off. And those hooligans no doubt knew who I was or why else would they attack," the beautiful young woman rambled on. The three cadets couldn't help but be enticed by her beauty.   
  
"No reward is necessary," Hercules said as he brushed a stray hair away from the maiden's face. "What's your name?"  
  
"I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Serenity. My father, is the king of our city. He will wish to reward you, and what is your name?"  
  
"I'm Hercules. This is Iolaus," Hercules said gesturing to his curly haired companion who grasped the young woman's hand and kissed it gently. She blushed slightly before turning back to Hercules who continued. "And that is Jason. You say your royalty? Jason is the....."  
  
"Prince of Corinth. It is a pleasure to meet you sir," Serenity said bowing down to his highness.  
  
"No princess, the pleasure is mine," Jason replied as he bowed to her and kissed her hand as Iolaus had done before. "Where are you from? I can not recall any kingdoms near here with young princesses."  
  
"We come from a small kingdom near Alexandria. My father makes me study all of Greece's different rulers, that is how I know of you"  
  
"Your awfully far from Alexandria," Iolaus commented.  
  
"We are traveling to Sparta. Peace talks. Against my father's better judgment I wished to attend. Our carriage is not very far from here. He will no doubt scold me once I come back to our humble camp. I think I can find it from here. Will all of you please come with me to meet my father? As I said before he will want to reward you," as she spoke her blue eyes sparkled with delight. She was hoping the three young men would accompany her back to camp.  
  
"We will walk you back to your camp just to make sure your safe, but we will accept no reward," Hercules spoke sternly.   
  
"Come on Herc, think about this for a second will you? What if it's money? Or something even better........like food!" Iolaus exclaimed. The three others burst out laughing, Serenity had just met them but was already warming up to her saviors.   
  
Jason grabbed another long stick and they began to walk back to where the girl's camp site was.   
  
"Did you get hurt in the fight?" Serenity asked concerned, hoping that Jason did not get hurt trying to save her.  
  
"What? Oh no. This happened earlier on the trip. Besides I'm fine. It's really nothing," Jason was sick of defending his injury. It hurt but it wasn't broken or anything so he knew he was fine. *Now if only everyone else would believe me* he thought as they started walking.  
  
They had walked for about a mile once they reached Serenity's camp. She spotted her father and once he realized her dress was torn he ran to her and hugged her.  
  
"My dear what happened to you?" he asked as he put his hands on her forearms and held her arms length away from him to examine her.  
  
"Some bandits attacked me earlier and these three men came to my aide father. I'm fine, because of them. This is Hercules, Iolaus and Prince Jason of Corinth." she watched as her father grasped forearms with each of the cadets.  
  
"I owe you all everything for saving my daughter, she is my life," he said affectionately. "Where are you going? Back to Corinth?"  
  
"No to Cheiron's Academy. We are all cadets there," Hercules answered.  
  
"We go past there. I would be honored if you would accept a ride in the carriage with us there. It is not far from here and it is the least I could do," the king offered.  
  
"I don't see why not," Jason spoke knowing even Hercules would approve of a ride home.  
  
"Good we were just preparing to leave when I noticed Serenity was missing. Now that she is back we can get going. Serenity, dear go and change and we will leave at once," the king told his daughter.  
  
"Yes sir," Serenity said before leaving to change.  
  
"Your highness, I noticed you are injured. We can have one of the medical soldiers look at you if you would like,"  
  
"That is a good idea," Hercules interjected before Jason could protest. The king called to one of his soldiers and a few moments later another soldier came rushing over ready to yield to whatever the king's orders were. The medical soldier examined Jason's ankle and wrapped it with a miniature brace.   
  
"It is not broken, but badly sprained. You should stay off of it as much as possible for the next few days," he instructed.  
  
Hercules only gave Jason that "I told you so look" and Jason stared at the ground around his feet.  
  
"It's time to leave. Are you boys ready?" Serenity's father asked.  
  
Hercules and Iolaus went on both sides of Jason and before he knew it they had picked him up and we're carrying him towards the large carriage.  
  
"Hey what's going on!" he protested but had no choice in the actions.  
  
When the three finally climbed inside the carriage, Serenity was already sitting there in a beautiful sea green dress. She smiled at the three and soon her father joined them in the carriage and they were off. It was not long before the three cadets we're peacefully sleeping on the ride back to the Academy.  
  
They were gently awoken by Serenity once they had arrived at the Academy. Her father had gone into the Academy to speak to Cheiron and had left her to wake up the sleeping heroes.  
  
They went inside and Cheiron immediately instructed them to their beds. They could explain everything in the morning. The three cadets said their goodbyes to Serenity and the king and both promised to visit on their way back to their kingdom. With that, Hercules, Iolaus and Jason headed into their rooms and fell asleep immediately. The next morning they awoke and wondered if their whole adventure was all a dream. As they walked to meet Cheiron in the courtyard they noticed a small catapult in the corner.  
  
"Cheiron, is that catapult new?" Hercules asked.  
  
"Nope. It's a gift from that princess friend of yours. She was very grateful that you three saved her yesterday. So she gave it to the Academy once you three went to bed," Cheiron explained.  
  
"Well I'm glad now everything can go back to normal," Iolaus added "So when's breakfast?"  
  
"Yup, everything is definitely back to normal!" Hercules laughed as they headed towards breakfast.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
